Wire plating apparatus



Jan. 11, 1944. y BERQUIST 2,338,795

WIBE PLATING' APPARATUS Filed June 29, 19:59 a Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Leon an! 0. Bcr uist BY 0% 9M. 1 M

ATTORNEY.

Jan. 11, 1944. G. BERQUIST WIRE PLATING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1939 3Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V ENTOR. Leandra GBer ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 11;"1s44 WIRE PLATING APPARATUS Leonard G. Berqnist,Niles, Mich assignor to National Standard Company, Niles, Mich, a

corporation of Mic Application June 29, 1939, Serial No. 281,801

. beyond the ends and sides of the tank It to re- 3 Claims. Thisinvention relates to wire plating apparatusand more particularly toapparatus for electroplating continuous lengths of wire or the like.

One of the objects of the inventionis to, provide a wire platingapparatus in which the plating solution is kept agitated at all times.Preferably a tank is employed in which the solution is locally agitatedand at the same time a circulation of solution through the tank ismaintained.

Another object of the invention is to provide plating apparatus in whichthe anode of plating material rests on a plate of conducting butnoncorrosive material. In this way the anode itself forms the onlyexposed material in the tank af-" fected by the plating solution and maybe replenished merely by dropping bars or ingots into the tank on theplate.

Still another object of the invention is to provide wire platingapparatus in which the wire is electrically energized by a pivotallymounted contactor engaging the wire by gravity. According to oneimportant feature the contactor is constructed almost entirely ofnon-metallic, noncorrosivematerial and includes an adjustable contactrod to engage the wire.

Other objects'and advantages of the invention including novelsub-combinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from thefollowing description of the embodiment shown on th accompanyingdrawings, in which:

ceive overflow solution therefrom. As best seen in Figure 3 the tank llsupports sideboards I 6 vextending above the tank It! and closed by ahinged cover I 8.

As shown the apparatus is arranged simultaneously to plate four wireswhich enter the tank ID at one end in parallel as shown at and passovervpulleys or guide wheels 22. The pulleys 22 .are formed 01: somenon-corrosive material such was porcelain and are carried by a shaft 24of similar material which is mounted at its opposite ends in grooves inwooden blocks 26 which lie against the sides of the tank ID. The wiresthen pass under a set of pulleys 28 carried by a shaft 30 which ismounted at its ends in the blocks 28 and are led through the tank belowthe surface of the plating solution therein over spaced sets of pulleys32 carried by shafts 34 which are mounted in blocks 36. It will beunderstood that all of the pulleys and shafts are formed of porcelain orlike non-c rosive material so that no parts are exposed to he platingsolution which will be afl'ected thereby.

, ing solution is agitated in the tank In to insure Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section through a plating tank embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1 with the top removed;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1; 4

Figure 4 is an enlarged side view with parts in section of a contactor;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figse 4; J

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a contact plate;

Figure? is an enlarged transverse section of Figure 6; and

According to one important feature, the platcontact of all parts of thewire with a solution of uniform strength so than a uniformly coated wirewill be produced. This is accomplished by 4 providing perforated pipes38 extending along the tank adjacent the sides and bottom thereofparallel to the wires 20. The pipes 38 have riser portions Ml extendingup over the side of the tank It and connected to a manifold 42 (Figure3) leading to a source of compressed air or the like.

. As shown, several sections or lengths of pipe are Figure 8 is aperspective diagram illustrating the method of making the contact plate.

The apparatus illustrated comprises an elongated tank Ill iormed or woodor other material which is not affected by the plating solution andhaving ends l2 lower than its sides to limit thelevel of platingsolution therein. The tank III is mounted in a second tank I 4 shown asformed of metal coated with rubber and which extends provided, eachextending a relatively short distance so as to prevent excessivepressure drop through the pipe.

In operation compressed air from the manifold l2 flows into the pipesand through the perforations therein to bubble up through the solutionin the tank. This keeps the plating solution agitated along the entirelength of the wire so that the wire will be uniformly plated. The

solution in the tank I0 is further agitated by providing a pump 44having its inlet connected to the bottom of the tank It and an outletpipe 48 extending over the side of the tank In substantially centrallyof the length thereof. In opera tion the pump withdraws plating solutionfrom the tank It and discharges it into the central Portion of the tankIn so that the solution flows lengthwise of the wire and overflows theends l2 of the tank I8. In this way a constant circulation of thesolution along the length of the wire is maintained.

The wire is connected in an electric circuit by novel contactors 48illustrated in detail in Figures 4 and 5. As shown, the contactorscomprise angular bodies of porcelain or the like noncorrosive materialhaving an upper arm terminating in an eye 58 adapted to be pivotallymounted on a transverse bar 52 extending across thetop of the tank [0.As shown, the bar 52 is supported in mounting brackets 54 secured to thetop of the tank, the bar and mounting brackets being formed of porcelainor like non-corrosive material. The opposite end of the contactor isformed by an arm 58 adapted to extend substantially vertically andterminating at its lower end in a groove 58 formed to fit over orstraddle the wire. The arm 56 is provided with a longitudinal bore 60 toreceive a contact rod 82 which is preferably formed of some metal whichis substantially non-corrosive in the plating solution. One materialwhich I have found to be very satisfactory for this purpose is an ironalloy sold commercially as Duriron. With this construction the weight ofthe insulating body and the contact rod 82 acting about the pivotalmounting on the -bar 52 holds the contact rod against the wire to beplated.

The rod 82 is secured in place in the bore 80 by .within the boss 80 soas to prevent access of the plating solution to the wire itself. At itsoppo- I site end the wire 82 extends through the side board It as bestseen in Figure 3 and is connected to a bus bar 88 forming the other sideof the electric circuit. I

The plate 18 may be formed according to the method illustrated in Figure8 by stripping a portion of the wire 82 and bending it at an angle asshown. The end portion of the wire may then be placed in a mold 80 andmay have molten lead poured thereover'from a suitable ladle as indicatedat 92. When the lead has cooled a block similar to the boss 88 is formedand may be inserted in a cut-away portion 84 in'the-plate I8. Thereafterthe block and plate may be welded or soldered in any desired manner toform an integral connection therebetween.

In use the plates 18 are placed in the bottom of the'tank i8 and bars oringots of the plating material are placed thereon. This forms anelectric connection between the bars or ingots and the bus bar 88. Atthe same time the contactors 48 form an electric connection with thewire and as the wire is run through the tank it may be plated as isunderstood in the art. As the bars or ingots of plating material aredepleted during operation, they may be replaced merely by drop pingadditional bars into the tank to rest on the plates I8.

While the apparatus has been particularly described in connection withthe plating of wire, it will be understood that rods, beams, or othershapes might be plated in the same manner and that certain features ofthe invention might be applied to stationary plating tanks in which thearticles to be plated are sustained. The particuthe sleeve pressed intoplace at the tapered bore tially flush with the surface of the groove58.

Thus as the wire moves through the groove, it wipes across the lower endof the rod 82 and makes an electric contact therewith.

The upper end of the rod is connected to one side of an electric circuitthrough aflexible connection shown as a wire 88 sheathed with rubber orthe like '|8. The wire 88 is illustrated as extending through an openingin the upper end of the'rod and clamped in place by a tapered screw I2extending throughthe opening into the end of the wire. The upper end ofthe rod and the exposed portion of the wire are covered by a rubbercovering 14 joining the wire sheath l0 and extending .down for a shortdistance on the rod 82. Thus the only metal exposed to the action of theplating solution is the rod 82 which may be formed of a materialaffected to a very small extent if at all by the plating solution.

At its opposite end the wire 10 extends through suitable openings in theside board l6 and is connected to a bus bar 16 forming one side of anelectric circuit.

The anode circuit, according to the present invention, is formed by oneor more lead plates 18 overlying the bottom of a tank l0 and adapted tosupport suitable bars or ingots of pl ting material. The plates 18include at one side an enlar apparatus described is therefore notintended as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference beinghad for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In wire plating apparatus of the type including a tank adapted tocontain a plating so-- lution and means for guiding a wire substantiallyhorizontally through said tank below the level of the solution, thecombinationof an electrical contactor carried by the tank and engagingthe wire, comprising an angular body of nonco'rrosive non-conductingmaterial including an upper arm and a downwardly extending vertical arm,said body being pivotally supported at its upper end adjacent the outerend of its upper .arm and formed at the lower end of its vertical armwith a groove to straddle the wire and having a passage extendingthrough said other arm and opening into said groove, and a metallic rodconnected at its upper end to a source of electric power and extendingloosely through said passage and terminating adjacent the surface of thegroove to contact the wire, the point of contact of the rod and wirebeing vertically offset from the pivotal mounting of the upper arm, theend said body being pivotally moimted above the wire at the outer end ofits upper arm and having its other arm extending substantiallyvertically downward into the tank, the lower free end of the other arm"being formed with a groove to straddle the wire and having a borelengthwise therethrough opening into said groove, 9. me-

tallic rod extending loosely through said bore and terminating adjacentthe surface of said groove to contact the wire and connected at itsupper end to a source or electric power, the point of contact of the rodand wire being vertically offset from the pivotal'mounting of the upperarm and a yielding sleeve surrounding the rod engaging the upper end ofsaid bore to hold said rod in place in the bore.

3. In apparatus for the electrochemical processing of a moving wire,including a tank adapted to contain electrolyte, and means or guidingthe wire substantially horizontally through said tank below the level ofthe electrolyte; the com- I to contact the wire, the

3 bination therewith of an electrical contactor comprising an angularbody of insulatingmaterial including an upper arm and a downwardlyextending'vertical arm, said body being pivotally mounted above the wireat the outer end of the upper arm, the other arm providing a sleeve ofinsulating material having a grooved lower end straddling said wire, arod of conducting material loosely extending through said sleeve, thelower end of said rod being exposed in the groove upper end of said rodbeing connected to a source of electrical power and the point of contactwith said wire being vertically oifset from the pivot point so that agravitational force yieldingly presses said rod against the wire, and acollar of yielding mate rial surrounding and frictionally gripping therod and engaging the sleeve at its upper end to hold the rod in place inthe sleeve.

LEONARD G. BERQUIST.

